fouronthefloorbloghttps://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com
A highly opinionated blog about the car industry and businessFri, 18 Aug 2017 02:50:43 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngfouronthefloorbloghttps://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com
10 Things Customers Must Do!https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/10-things-customers-must-do/
https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/10-things-customers-must-do/#respondFri, 20 Jul 2012 20:00:12 +0000http://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/?p=175Continue reading →]]>The customer / vendor relationship is an important one. Customers rely on vendors for different aspects of their business that affect their bottom line, in one way of another. Vendors rely on customers for income — and a bad experience can lead to a drop off in current and future business.

In this article, I will recommend 10 things that a customer must do to preserve the value of a relationship with the Vendor. And since relationships go both ways, another article will document ’10 Things Vendors Must Do!’

Let’s say these are in random order to prevent comments about importance. Feel free to add your own in the comments:

1. Provide updated email address and phone numbers

2. Forward “expired” emails to new people

3. Pay bills in a timely manner or communicate otherwise

4. Provide multiple people for contact — including product maintenance and billing

5. Reply to email newsletters with a simple “thanks” or questions goes a long way

6. If you receive a voicemail, it’s OK to reply in email to say you received it and everything is OK with the account

7. Allow time for new staff to get training on systems

8. Follow the Vendors support protocols

9. Communicate any features that are lacking and the priority it is to your business

10. Be as courteous to the vendor’s timeline as you would expect them to be to you

Overall the most important point in any relationship is communication. If both the Customer and Vendor have an understanding of each others needs, then they can forge ahead in a long-term and profitable business relationship.

]]>https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/10-things-customers-must-do/feed/0tkatcherWho’s Fault is It?https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/whos-fault-is-it/
https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/whos-fault-is-it/#respondWed, 18 Jul 2012 15:59:42 +0000http://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/?p=173Continue reading →]]>Customer:
“We’d like to cancel our agreement because your stuff doesn’t work! It doesn’t do half of the stuff that we need and we don’t get any support from you.”

Vendor:
“I’m sorry to hear this from you. I understand all the things that you are trying to do, and we do all that and much more. In fact, our records indicate that we have reached out to several people in your company via phone and email monthly.”

Customer:
“Well, if we knew about all the features that your product did, we wouldn’t want to cancel.”

Vendor:
“Now that I have you on the phone, I am happy to review everything with you. Is your email ssssssssss@customer.com? And I have this as your phone number? Is that correct? Great. Every month we send out two emails to all accounts, as well as place phone calls regarding outages, etc. Have you received those messages?”

The story goes on, but the point is the same. The customer heard about a new system and wondering why their system doesn’t do the same. They call to cancel. The customer points the blame on the vendor, when the reality is that the customer has been contacted and has ignored those contacts.

On the other hand, what is the responsibility of the vendor?

When a new feature comes out, how is the customer to be notified? Emails, phone calls, smoke signals?

As a vendor, we can provide information, update the website, send out emails, write blogs, make phone calls — but if we don’t get a response, what next?

Often times we — the collective we as in humans — struggle with doing the right thing. Some struggle more then others.

The right thing to do in this situation is to ask questions, find out the reason why there is a miss… find out what each party has done and find out where wholes can be plugged so a solution can be found — and the relationship can move forward together. Or mutually part after each gives a valiant effort.

Sounds a lot like a marriage. And in a way it is.

Vendors and Customers each have their own codes to live by. As Vendors enhance their services, it is in their best interest to let their customers know about it through the website, email and phone. This has to be balanced with a customer’s schedule as to not call the customer every day with new feature updates.

Customers can choose to respond to the inquiries or not. The response can be clicking on a link in an email or returning a phone call. The onus is on the customer to follow-up if the Vendor is reaching out.

Ultimately, the Vendor should initiate contact on a regular basis — providing the customer with multiple ways to stay abreast of the updates and status of their software. At the same time, if the customer ignores the efforts by the Vendor, they should not put that blame on the Vendor when they “missed” a contact point provided in the past.

So, in the scenario above — is their fault to blame?

My response, is yes. There is fault on the part of the customer for not responding to previous requests. And depending on the urgency and longevity of the situation, the Vendor might have had the possibility to raise awareness from a higher level.

What do you think?

]]>https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/whos-fault-is-it/feed/0tkatcherWhat can you learn from Microsoft and Google?https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/what-can-you-learn-from-microsoft-and-google/
https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/what-can-you-learn-from-microsoft-and-google/#respondSun, 01 Jul 2012 22:57:40 +0000http://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/?p=171Continue reading →]]>Two weeks ago, Microsoft gave the middle finger to their partners – not once, but twice. What can you say — they used both hands.

Meanwhile, Google did the exact opposite, embracing their partners and letting them feel comfortable with the future working with the company.

I guess Google’s motto of “Don’t be evil” is back in play.

Let’s recap.

Microsoft launched their own tablet, called Surface, running on Windows 8 and Windows RT. It was manufactured by MS and will be sold by MS. While MS has a history of making accessories such as mice and keyboards, it hasn’t make computers, tablets or phones. On occasion, some companies have made reference devices to show the capabilities of new products. MS and Intel has done this.

In this case, Microsoft’s goal is clear – they intend to lead the pack and release the Surface Tablets to compete directly with Apple, looking to own the full user experience. The difference in this case, is that MS charges it’s partners up to $100 per license to use the Windows Operating System. Since MS isn’t going to charge itself this amount, it already had a profit margin greater then any of it’s partners ever could accomplish.

Secondly, Microsoft officially came out and said the recent phones that their partners were pushing with the new Windows Phone operating system will not get the Windows 8 update. (LINK) Instead, they will get 7.8 and will be left behind beyond that. Reports showed that Nokia spent over $250M on marketing of their 900 phone. ATT (LINK) made it a flag ship phone in their store, training their staff, and redirecting marketing for other partners to make room for Microsoft phones. Now, any momentum those marketing efforts created is now lost as their partner now made those investments obsolete.

How would you feel if your partner treated you this way? Making you spend money on marketing and then turning their back on you. Or creating a product to compete with yours, only to charge you up to $100 more for the privilege of using their device.

Now Google has done the complete opposite.

At Google’s annual developer convention (LINK), they announced a tablet device running the latest build of Android – Jelly Bean – called the Nexus 7. It wasn’t built by Google, but by Asus. While Microsoft charges its partners for licenses, Google gives their operating system code away for free in order to help promote their ecosystem of products (gmail, docs, play store, etc).

The new tablet vents some of Google’s partner frustrations by providing a vehicle to push the next operating systems out quicker on tablets, just like it does on phones – ie. the Google Nexus. Google is noticeably frustrated that it’s partners are fragmenting the Android system by not updating their phones to the latest feature set and operating system. This device, although not technically a reference device, shows consumers what is possible with the form factor, hoping to put pressure on their providers.

By utilizing one of its partners to make the Nexus tablet, Google also followed up on a promise it made to it’s hardware partners when Google purchased Motorola. When that acquisition happened, partners were nervous that Motorola would become the manufacturer of choice for Google hardware and get first access to updated software. Google promised that it’s purchase of Motorola was for the patents to protect it’s partners against lawsuits.

When assessing your business partners, are you keeping your word?

When you tell a vendor that you appreciate what they do, do you mean it?

When someone bends over backwards to help you out, do you return the action?

When a vendor cuts their price to meet your budget, do you consider that when you have further budget cuts?

Microsoft isn’t moving at the pace of business today. Regardless of how great of product Surface is, without partner support — they will be the only ones making a Windows device. That hasn’t been their strategy thus far, and unless it changes, the impact of their decisions may have an unprecedented outcome.

When considering a business partner, consider how they would react when the tide gets a little bumpy. And then remember, that it may be your tide that may be bumpy some day and it will be your decision to determine whether to act like Microsoft or like Google.

PS> The executive at Microsoft responsible for Partner relations, resigned from his position this week. Of course the line is that it was planned, but how would you feel in his shoes after spending years building relationships with partners only to have MS sweep the rug out from under you?

]]>https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/what-can-you-learn-from-microsoft-and-google/feed/0tkatcherms surfaceNexus 7FB: The New Ad Networkhttps://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/fb-the-new-ad-network/
https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/fb-the-new-ad-network/#respondSat, 23 Jun 2012 20:49:01 +0000http://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/?p=148Continue reading →]]>This could be scary — or it could be a new amazing new advertising platform.

Facebook is working with Zynga to place ads on Zynga’s new web-gaming platform. The advertisements are based on your Facebook history, not cookies or searching history — but a cross section of everything you do on the web and Facebook.

For a little back-story, Zynga started out on the Facebook platform running the most popular games, then grew to embrace mobile, and now is branding out on it’s own — creating a gaming platform not only for it’s own systems, but for others to potentially use as well.

Facebook is mentioned in Zynga’s IPO FilingsZynga is mentioned in Facebook’s IPO Filings

Now, in a way to monetize each of the companies web presence, millions of advertisements will be served up that are more personalized then ever before.

What can this mean for your business?What can this mean for your personal privacy?How does Microsoft continue to get “screwed” over like this?

YourBusinessIf you are advertising on Facebook – how does this extend to the most traffic’d website for gaming? Gaming is a great advertising opportunity, because people are focused on that target — for an extended amount of time. The NASCAR advertising platform is the same concept. A focused segment of the population for a designated amount of time.

Now – as an advertiser, you can get your ads in front of people that are not browsing Facebook, but interacting with the web through one page. Game playing happens on one page — IN — the website, so to speak.

One of the critical notes on advertising on Facebook is that people are hopping from page to page, reading a couple of words at a time — not staying on one page for more then a minute — and not that has changed.

For your business – this is something to look out for.

I expect that after Zynga’s test, one of two things are going to happen — FB will become the new advertising agency, just like Google uses G+ — but FB has 900M members who use the site 25x more frequently then G+ — which means that FB has more ability to tailor the ads specifically for your business to the right customer at the right time.

Option two – is that privacy and public outcry causes people to logout of Facebook more often which means that only the 1000 most used websites that use FB Connect exclusively will get the benefit.

PrivacyI’m going to skip this. My personal feelings on privacy is simple — if you didn’t put it on the internet to begin with, it wouldn’t be available. And if I did make certain information available to provide more valid advertisements on something I am using for free — then so be it. A paid option should allow me to remove all ads and hence the required tracking. But that’s my two cents.

Microsoft EffectFor some reason, MS always gets the short stick. Maybe it’s because it throws money around without truly thinking of the deal. Maybe because it is so interested in a partnership that it buys itself one instead of it being cultivated with mutual interests.

MS invested $250M in Facebook for 5%. That is now worth about $4B — which is a good investment, but that wasn’t the goal. MS invested to incorporate the MS Office Suite into email attachments and into the search results.

When was the last time you used Facebook for a regular search? Or if you did, have you noticed the BING sponsored ads on the bottom? Don’t worry, no one else has either.

So when Facebook ventures off with it’s own advertising platform as an extension outside of the facebook.com walls, the one who will get hurt the most is Microsoft. Microsoft should be hosting that search and combining it with information from FB to make the all empowering search.

Currently this high-level of social search happens on BING – purely in concept, considering you have to be logged into MS LIVE and FACEBOOK. Similar to Google+Social Search indeed. But when FB branches out on it’s own, MS is left holding the MS LIVE and BING — with a portion empty pockets left.

Why would FB renew with advertising agreement with MS when they can just become the next Advertising Network with Social already built in?

Look out Google. I think that FB is coming after your core.

And for those advertisers — it can only create better, more targeted advertisements that utilize the best of FB — but travel outside of FB walls.

]]>https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/fb-the-new-ad-network/feed/0tkatcherLeader or Follower?https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/leader-follower/
https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/leader-follower/#respondTue, 19 Jun 2012 17:18:23 +0000http://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/?p=145Continue reading →]]>Are you competing on an even turf with your surrounding businesses?
Or are you leading the pack and making others follow you?

Are you a leader and an innovator, not afraid to fail?
Or do you wait until everyone else has “it” and then follow when “it” becomes standard?

I find it best to take things out of YOUR business by focusing on parallels, knowing that you are smart enough to apply the lessons to your own business.

Microsoft announced yesterday that there were getting in to the tablet business, not only creating a tablet – but a premium user experience utilizing Windows 8 Pro and RT. Are they following Google and Apple — a few years late — or going their separate way all together?

To understand where we are going, we need to understand where we’ve been and where we are.

Apple has created one of the most profitable companies by having a full ecosystem. While the Android clan is fighting over specs that only the technophile can understand, Apple is all about user experience, preferring to talk in numbers instead of digits — ie. A6 processor as opposed to Qualcomm Q4 QuadCore, etc. The screen is 100% about the user and Apple leads the pack here — utilizing screen technology that offers 4x the resolution of the competitors, even one year ago with the release of the iphone 4s. While the Android clan is still arguing over gigabytes, screen sizes, etc. they still haven’t understood the simplicity that is Apple’s ecosystem. Nothing compares.

Along comes Microsoft in potentially their boldest Windows-based move in the past decade — creating an ecosystem with Microsoft tablet leading the way. With the announcement yesterday, MS broke out of their cocoon and created something innovative. And while the pundits, myself included, take it with a grain of salt and a note of “prove it” — one cannot deny the move is bold. MS relies on licensing software – recently claims of $85/tablet – and selling software – mainly office.

Creating hardware is a new business and they hit a true home run with the architecture and ingenuity of this device. The RT is super thin and light — whereas the Pro is a little larger. But both have extra ports, expansion slots and the presentation focused on the user experience, not hardware specs. And adding to the usability is the cover that includes a keyboard and trackpad. Genius.

The fumble is yet to come and it’s two-fold.

Pricing:
MS said that pricing is between today’s tablets and ultrabooks. That puts it in the $600+ range. Regardless of the keyboard value (some suggest it would retail for $100 if sold separately), it has a cost that people cannot take as optional, which means they are paying more for it no matter how they look at it. If the price is in the $500+ area, then it’s Dead on Arrival.

Partners:
MS has a long history of working with partners to deliver new operating systems and everyone from Dell to HP to Vizio has plans to develop tablets and ultrabooks for Windows 8. If the MS Tablet – Surface – has more features and is a better product for less then the partners can build on their own, they will jump ship. This may not be a bad thing, but it definitely will be an evolution in the PC industry as more and more companies are going mobile. The big question is how can they compete on price and value if they have to pay MS that $85/device licensing fee.

Business Applications:
How does all this MS / Apple / Google talk relate to your business?
When forging ahead in your business, are you walking over your partners — or taking them along with you?
Are you leading the pack or are you waiting for someone else to test the waters?

In most businesses, we tend to fall into what is the status quo and accept that as well, acceptable. The challenge is to step outside of the status quo and constantly challenge your co-workers to do the same. Shake things up — and make sure that along the way you are educating those around you of the risks you are taking to make sure they understand the risks to. It’s not easy being a leader, a game changer, an innovator — If it was – everyone would do it.

Coming off of WWDC (LINK) – the Apple developers’ convention – as well as recent news about updated Chromebooks and Chrome Only “desktops” (LINK)– I find it hard to notice that the spotlight on Apple and Google put the low-light on Microsoft at a time when it should be using it’s marketing might for good — not evil. But they are foolish, stuck in the past, even as they continue to attempt to innovate – their business practices are not catching up. Microsoft is a multi-billion dollar example of an imbalanced business.

Operating Systems

Google

The Chrome operating system is a web / linux based system that is 99% web functions with offline functions rolling out with updates. The idea is that 99% of business is done on the internet, including databases, web surfing, documents, email, etc — so a lot of the operating system as we know it (Windows, OS X) are bloatware that slows down the process. Google, by owning the system can make everything faster, easier to use and fundamentally steer people through their services such as GDrive, Apps, etc. Chrome is provided 100% free to anyone that wants to use it.

Google also has the Android operating system, which for it’s pros and cons of being an open interface that can be developed upon and customized — is a great operating system. Google provides this free in order to garner market share, views, traffic to it’s products and eventually search – of which generated over $2B in revenue last year from mobile.

Apple

The Apple operating system continually gets faster, easier to use and integrates with more and more Apple products and social features (Twitter / Facebook) with each update. Every year the software has been updated like clockwork while slowly brining the phone iOS and desktop OS X closer together. In fact, the most recent rollout “Mountain Lion” creates a seemless integration between desktop and phone whereas there is instant sharing and continuation of movies and documents across platforms.
(MS released a test version of Smart Glass last week that is similar but a distant thought (LINK))

Apple, since it is the only one making the iphone, gives the software away for free to manufacturers (themselves) — but it also provides sweeping updates for past generations for phones all at once. That is why people look to Apple and never use the word “fragmentation” that they use with Google. This is Google’s big downfall and possibly it’s only envy of Apple’s phone strategy.

When it comes to OS X, the desktop version, Apple charges new users $19 for the update and existing customers who purchase a system from today on, get the update for no charge. The reality is that users are getting a completely new operating system, that is loadable across multiple computers for only $19. (LINK)

Microsoft

Microsoft is making more money off it’s licensing and patent defending in mobile then off it’s own devices. Report indicate that HTC is paying Microsoft up to $15 per ANDROID phone they sell.
(LINK) As Microsoft rolls out it’s phone strategy it couldn’t get anyone to buy their licensing for Windows Phone 7.5 so it paid Nokia in the amount of $250M+ to be an exclusive partner and committed an ad budget to match Nokias. Nokia will get charged an undisclosed licensing fee for using Windows Phone 7.5 software. Does that make sense?

To dirty the water even more, while trying to get developers into Windows 7.5 they are noting that Windows Phone 8, an extension of their new operating system due by September, is not compatible with Windows 7.5. The hardware, software, apps, etc. will not run Windows Phone 8. So for the 2% of consumers that MS 7.5 count in the market share, they will not get a free upgrade to Windows Phone 8. See another issue here?

Finally, the cash cow of Microsoft is Windows. CEO Ballmer recently said that over 600M windows 7 licenses sold. The retail is $100 and it has been reported that MS charges all but the highest producers close to that $100 per unit. (LINK) As they roll-out Windows 8, the company has expressed that it is a completely new operating system with complete functionality beyond the genius that was Windows 7, including thousands of new features and the wonderful Metro Interface — and will cost $100. While touting this number as a highlight, they also suggest that users that buy a computer now will have to pay to upgrade to Windows 8 — albeit at a discount — what a horribly effective way to stifle the PC buying cycle. (LINK)

How is this Relevant to you

While Apple and Google fight the good fight in getting their systems into as many hands as possible, Microsoft is erecting barriers that aren’t working in the new world. While the market is shifting towards a digital revolution, Microsoft is innovating it’s products, but not it’s business philosophy to match. Microsoft is an imbalanced enterprise.

Most companies are too.

A lot of companies have digitized part of their efforts, moving to online CRM programs, and relying on online reporting, etc. Some are reaching new customers through social media and internet search marketing. But what are they doing with their main business philosophy? The structure of their business? How does all that digital translate into their store to make an impact?

Brick and Mortar

How are you bringing the digital experience into your store?

How are you expressing your digital components to your customers?

Can you bridget the marketing gap between how you got the customer and how you interact with them once you have them?

Internet Companies

Do you balance real custom service to follow-up on digital communication?

Are your customer service forums monitored with real people?

How do you assist customers when a digital purchase or service goes wrong?

Balance. This is a hard act to pursue and it often takes a higher level, outsider approach to see how you can bridge these gaps in your business. If you don’t — you will be left behind by those that do. With businesses being closer to each other in the virtual and real world — you have a lot of competition and how you balance this digital world is imperative to success.

Recently Zuckerberg “liked” a post on Facebook and the comment went from less then 20 to 20,000 in a matter of minutes. It was a random comment, but the point is that people follow Mark.

So, when Mark recently joined Fancy (thefancy.com), people started asking – what’s so Fancy? (LINK)

For all those Pinterest lovers, you may want to pay attention.

Since you only have so much time to waste in your day, may I submit Fancy.com. Not only a very valuable web address, but also a business with a business model that makes sense.

Unlike Pinterest which counts “PINS” the same way that Facebook counts “LIKES” – Fancy.com provides the extra motivation to see what your friend bought, would like to buy or where to buy it yourself. So now instead of just “PINNING” or “LIKING” you can actually follow through with a purchase.

The time factor here is crucial. People only have so much time to “not” do what they are supposed to be doing, like making money, working or volunteering for the less fortunate. This is the reason whey Google+ isn’t getting as much traction. People are already wasting their time elsewhere.

This may be Fancy.com’s Achilles heal, but it’s business model creates a value add that gives it a fighting chance. “Pinning” is one thing. It says what you “like” in pictures. But what is lacks is a way to monetize what you really like. If you like it enough — buy it — and here are the places to do so. From clothes to vacations to jewelry (most common pin) to makeup (second most common) — fancy.com allows you to research and buy actual items from the images.

Imagine what that can do for your business.

What good is a “top pinner” award without dollars?

What if you could have “pinners” turn to buyers? What an amazing way to use not only your business time, but also the time of your customers.

Now you have something to brag about — how many ___________ did you sell from Fancy.com last month.

Here’s another little stat that may get you to move over to Fancy – more men are using the website then on Pinterest and while the average Pinster has 4 pins, the fancier has 58. More people are interacting with Fancy then Pinterest. Here’s a little more comparison I found LINK

You will benefit by moving your time and energy to business models that create returns. There are only so many hours in a day — so many minutes that can be used for social media and other avenues — why not spend the time and money where you have the best chance to make a difference in your bottom line.

How many “likes” do you have?
Are you bragging about it?
What does a “like” mean?

While all these optimization companies and consultants talk about likes and the power of facebook, a “like” merely means that someone saw your page or your ad and hit, “like” . That’s IT.

What does a “like” NOT mean?

That someone actually has any clue what your business does.
That someone is in the market for what your business is selling.
That someone actually doesn’t block you after the fact.
That someone will ever recommend your company.
That dollars will follow.
That customers will see your status updates!

If the other “NOTS” didn’t catch you by surprise, the last one sure did. Were you aware that estimates indicate that less then 20% of the people that “like” you actually will see your status update? This article indicates the number is only 12%, but I’ve seen others go as high as 18% (LINK)

This should make sense to you, when you spend the time to think through it — slowly.

facebook is giving away a free service that, while very robust — needs to make money, especially now that it is public. If you can gather millions of “likes” and communicate with them, why would you pay to advertise?

A couple of ideas of advertising would be to get more “likes” or to drive people to your website — but aside from that, if you could communicate for free to 100% of all your “liked” people, the odds of you paying to advertise is limited.

Now comes a value proposition that is being worked out through a beta test. Through research of about 50 articles, the numbers vary as you would expect from a beta test.

First off, the parameters are based on how many likes you currently have. For instance, again keep in mind these numbers are just for example purposes, you have 100 “likes” and create a status update. That update will be sent to 100% of those people. But if you have 10,000 likes, that number is more closely related to 10-20% regardless of how many of those people block you from their newsfeed.

The concept of a “promoted” update is that you would pay an incremental amount of $5, $10, $25 to increase that percentage, but it never equals 100% and cannot get by newsfeed blocks. For the beta test, the “promote this” is right next to the submit button as an option.

Unlike promoted tweets that are on Twitter, this is a self-serve option that is reasonably priced based on the message, but must be considered an option along with other marketing efforts.

Congratulations on having so many people “like” your business – you have succeeded at getting so many people to click the like button. That’s it. They clicked. It means nothing more or nothing less, except maybe bragging rights – if that matters to you.

PS> Although technically in Beta, facebook has a page in it’s help section:

]]>https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/facebook-cant-hear-you/feed/0tkatcherNew Feature Announcement: Custom Sceneshttps://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/new-feature-announcement-custom-scenes/
https://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/new-feature-announcement-custom-scenes/#respondWed, 30 May 2012 19:45:55 +0000http://fouronthefloorblog.wordpress.com/?p=131Continue reading →]]>WEST PALM BEACH, FL. The Digital Dealership System, a provider of custom digital signage for the automotive industry, releases a feature update that allows dealerships to create, edit and update individual resources easier then ever. Prior to this update, if the dealership wanted to update their screen with a sales or service special, they needed to add a new image and replace the old. This process added some extra clicks that can now be eliminated.

Within the Digital Dealership System software, SignStudio, Dealerships can now utilize the “Scene Editor” to create content that can be changed dynamically in the system. These updates include the ability to change graphics, text, fonts, animations and much more. The individual “Scenes” are made within the SignStudio software, so there is no need to learn new graphic design software and import information.

Scenes can pull in dynamic web-based content, have animations and integrate with any other resource already in SignStudio. Such options as over 50 different fonts, gradient fills, animated and flex text and much more make each system unique and the options limitless.

Once a scene is created, it can be duplicated and edited for different specials and announcements at the same time. Creating a simple template saves the dealership staff time and allows for consistency across the sign solution.

As part of the setup for Digital Dealership System customers, basic Scene Templates are already in the account that can easily be edited by the staff.

Creating A New Scene

Adding Text

Adding Effects

Inserting Scene into Timeline

To support this new feature, several tutorials have been added and several more are being built.

GM is at it again. A week after cutting the $12M budget for Facebook, they announce that they will not be advertising in the next Super Bowl. (LINK)

Confusion continues to the goal of marketing and branding efforts. Although this sounds like moves made by the newly hired advertising agency to test how “on board” GM is with the methodology.

GM seems to think that getting 7.5M views on YouTube for it’s Silverado after the Super Bowl Commercial that ran in 2012, didn’t increase brand awareness. At a cost of $3M, the residual branding efforts of those people and the ad’s replay value had to not only increase test drives, but also social buzz beyond the 7.5M.

See the ad here:

What else would GM want?

Maybe they are looking to raise awareness of a new product. Oh, they did that successfully last year too. With the Chevy Sonic. What did GM get for this $3M?

The results were that Edmunds.com reported the Sonic was the #3 top searched vehicle on it’s the site the days following the Super Bowl. Most would call that a successful product launch.

Assumptions are a risky business, but in this case, let’s assume that GM wasn’t happy with the bottom line impact of these ads and that’s why they dropped Facebook and the Super Bowl.

Maybe — following this assumption, GM is putting the money into developing products that people will be interested in purchasing instead of just looking at the commercials. Now that would make sense, but they will never come out and say it.

Although the Sonic ads created traffic, people didn’t buy because it didn’t compare well with other cars in the market. So the marketing drove them to Edmunds and their dealers, but ultimately, didn’t bring out the checkbooks. That’s not the marketing department’s fault.

Or maybe it’s a move by their newly hired marketing agency — the same one that handles marketing for Snooki.

Branding is a marketing strategy that is important for many companies. On a small scale, branding can be in the form of good will of donations and partnering in local events and charities. On a larger scale, branding can be a Super Bowl advertisement, Billboards, and Social Media Campaigns. While Branding may have no immediate impact on the bottom line, it keeps the product or service in the conversation, allowing the “I heard about that” to come into a buyer’s mind.

A tangible example is the cola wars that have been fought for decades. Coca-Cola and Pepsi fight it out through ads that help you make the decision on which to buy — when your thirsty. But they aren’t expecting you to hop in the car because you saw a polar bear drinking a Coke or Michael Jackson dancing on stage.

Branding has to be a consistent message where ROI is considered last. It is a constant – something that you can’t turn off – and moves with the times, and in most cases, as with a lot of public companies is determined as a percentage of gross income.

Final disclaimer. There is a lot of advertising that requires ROI — these are time sensitive and traceable. You know when customers make a purchase decision based on Advertising and it directly effects your bottom line. Don’t confuse your budget “pie” when it comes to Advertising vs. Branding or else you may be losing a potential impression that you spent years developing.